[For Seniors] Liven Up Cherry-Blossom Viewing! Fun Games and Recreational Activities

Funny Gesture Exercises

Recreation (brain training): Seniors smile and do gesture exercises — recommended for day service programs.

A gesture game where you don’t speak, but watch movements and guess the answer.

Because it’s often played on TV shows and at parties, many older adults may already be familiar with it.

In gesture games, you watch the movements, imagine what they mean, and answer.

Imagining is said to help activate the brain.

What’s more, having older adults perform the prompted actions themselves boosts the brain-training effect.

Since you’re getting older adults to move, it’s like gesture exercise.

Expanding prompts from “eating a mandarin” to “peeling and eating a mandarin” also stimulates the imagination.

Adjust the difficulty to suit the older adults.

The more movements you add, the more smiles you’re likely to see.

Bamboo Shoot Digging Game

Recreation for seniors: Sit-down paper cup bamboo shoot-digging game #SeniorRecreation #CareRecreation #PaperCups

It’s a game where you use a stick with a paper cup attached to the end to stack and pick up paper cups with bamboo shoots drawn on them, and compete for speed.

The key to successfully picking up the bamboo shoots is to fit the cup on the stick perfectly over the target cup, so your stick control is put to the test.

If you do it well, you can stack multiple cups, so strategy matters—do you carefully stack and grab a bunch at once, or focus on speed and collect them one by one? The longer the stick, the harder it is to control, so adjusting the stick length is also a recommended way to set the difficulty.

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Paper Cup Pulling Game

[Recreation] It was insanely exciting! #DayService #DayServiceRecreation #ImageChange

It’s a reflex-testing game where you hold a string with a paper cup attached and, the instant the music stops, quickly pull the paper cup toward yourself.

There’s someone positioned near the paper cup to hold it down—try to move the cup faster than they can react.

Since you need to transfer the force from the string to the cup to reel it in, how you hold the string and how you pull it are key points.

You might also have fun making it a competitive format where players take turns being the holder and the puller.

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String Balloon Relay

Recreation for seniors: Simple and exciting! String-and-balloon drop

It’s a game where you work with the person across from you to skillfully control a string you’re holding and carry a balloon to a target location.

Because you can’t move the balloon well with your own power alone, you feel a bit of frustration, but also the fun of cooperation.

If you make it like a relay where you pass the balloon to the next person, not only coordination with the person opposite you but also strategy with the person before and after you is tested, which makes the game even more engaging.

It’s a game where the spirit of cooperation is key, including how you tension and move the string.

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Treasure Fishing

Okayama City Day Service Summer Festival Final Chapter Day 1

Let’s host a summer festival that gets participants’ hearts racing with excitement! Here’s an idea for a Treasure Fishing game.

When you think of a summer festival, many people imagine food stalls, right? This time, let’s try a treasure fishing challenge where you use a hook attached to a string to aim for and lift the ring attached to a prize.

The treasures can include snacks, drinks, tumblers, and small goods.

It’s fine to put them in transparent bags so the contents are visible, but setting them up in wrapping paper or paper bags so the contents are hidden could be fun too.

Be sure to give it a try!

Rhythmic gymnastics at Blue Light Yokohama

Seated singing exercise: “Showa Kayō Blue Light Yokohama” – rhythm exercises for seniors and older adults #seniors #exercise

Released in 1968, “Blue Light Yokohama” is one of the signature songs of the Showa era.

Many older adults have likely sung it at karaoke or heard it on TV or the radio.

Let’s try some rhythmic exercises with this familiar tune.

Since the song portrays a couple in love, it could be fun to incorporate movements that match the lyrics.

Older adults might feel nostalgic, recalling the time when this song was popular as they exercise.

You could even sing along while doing the exercises.

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Nakajima Junko

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Rhythmic gymnastics with bean throwing

Seated singing exercise: Nursery rhyme “Mame-maki (Bean-Throwing)” — rhythm exercises for seniors and the elderly #seniors #exercise

Bean-throwing is one of the major events in February, isn’t it? Depending on the region, some people throw peanuts or edamame, but in Japan, people have traditionally done bean-throwing on Setsubun in February.

So, we’d like to introduce a rhythm exercise perfect for February: a bean-throwing themed routine.

Move your body to the children’s song “Mamemaki.” Sit in a chair and, while singing, extend your hands and feet forward.

An exercise with a bean-throwing theme can help older adults connect with the current season.

Also, using a familiar song makes it easier for many seniors to join in.

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Nakajima Junko

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